Whether you are trying to identify a succulent you just bought, browsing for your next acquisition, or building a collection from scratch, this guide organises the world of succulents into practical, visual categories based on how the plants actually look — because that is how most people search. Rosettes, trailing stems, columns, globes, trees: each growth form brings together species from different families and genera that share a similar appearance, making it easy to find what you are looking for even if you do not know the botanical name.
This guide covers over 100 of the most commonly grown succulent species and cultivars, drawn from the major succulent families: Crassulaceae (jade plants, echeverias, sedums, kalanchoes, sempervivums), Euphorbiaceae (euphorbias), Asphodelaceae (aloes, haworthias, gasterias), Aizoaceae (lithops, mesembs), Cactaceae (the true cacti), Asparagaceae (agaves, yuccas), and several smaller families. Each entry gives the botanical name, common name, key visual features, and a note on difficulty — so you can match the plant to your skill level.
Rosette-Forming Succulents
The rosette — a spiral arrangement of leaves radiating from a central point — is the most iconic succulent growth form and the one most people picture when they hear the word “succulent”. Rosettes range from thumbnail-sized gems to dinner-plate specimens, in every colour from ice-blue to near-black.
Echeveria — the classic rosette
Echeveria (family Crassulaceae) is the quintessential rosette succulent, with over 150 species and thousands of cultivars and hybrids. Native to Mexico and Central America, echeverias form symmetrical, often vividly coloured rosettes that range from 5 cm to over 30 cm in diameter. They are the backbone of the modern succulent ornamental industry.
Popular species and cultivars: Echeveria elegans (Mexican snowball — powdery blue-white rosette, one of the hardiest), Echeveria ‘Lola’ (pale lavender-pink, extremely popular), Echeveria agavoides (lipstick echeveria — pointed, red-tipped leaves), Echeveria ‘Perle von Nürnberg’ (purple-grey, the classic collector’s hybrid), Echeveria pulidonis (blue-green with red margins), Echeveria runyonii ‘Topsy Turvy’ (curled, inverted leaves), Echeveria setosa (hairy, velvet-textured). Difficulty: easy to moderate. Bright light essential for compact growth and colour.
Sempervivum — the cold-hardy rosette
Sempervivum (family Crassulaceae), commonly called “hens and chicks” or houseleeks, are the frost-proof rosette succulents. Hardy to –30 °C or below, they thrive outdoors in rock gardens, green roofs, and alpine troughs across Europe and North America — places where no other succulent survives. Hundreds of cultivars in green, red, purple, bronze, and silver, often with cobweb-like hairs (Sempervivum arachnoideum). Difficulty: very easy outdoors; difficult indoors (they need cold winters).
Aeonium — the Canary Island rosettes
Aeonium (family Crassulaceae) produces rosettes on the ends of bare, branching stems — a different architecture from the ground-hugging echeverias. Native to the Canary Islands, Madeira, and North Africa. Winter-growing. Popular species: Aeonium arboreum ‘Zwartkop’ (near-black rosettes on tall stems), Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ (variegated cream and green), Aeonium tabuliforme (flat, plate-like rosette). Difficulty: easy in Mediterranean climates; challenging in cold-wet or very hot-humid climates.
Graptoveria, Pachyveria, Graptosedum — the intergeneric hybrids
The Crassulaceae are unusual in allowing hybridisation between genera. The resulting intergeneric hybrids combine the best features of their parents and include some of the most colourful and popular succulents in cultivation: × Graptoveria ‘Fred Ives’ (large, lavender-pink rosette), × Graptoveria ‘Opalina’ (pastel opalescent), × Pachyveria ‘Blue Pearl’, × Graptosedum ‘California Sunset’ (orange-tinted). Difficulty: easy.
Aloe-Type Rosettes — Thick, Pointed Leaves
These rosettes have thicker, more pointed, often toothed or armed leaves than the soft-leaved echeveria type. They belong primarily to the family Asphodelaceae (subfamily Asphodeloideae).
Aloe — the medicinal rosettes
Aloe (family Asphodelaceae) is one of the most recognised plant genera in the world, thanks to Aloe vera. With over 500 species, the genus ranges from tiny grass aloes to tree aloes 15 m tall. All produce rosettes of thick, fleshy, often toothed leaves, and most flower on tall, branching stalks in vivid orange, red, or yellow.
Popular species: Aloe vera (the medicinal aloe — by far the most widely grown), Aloe arborescens (torch aloe — shrubby, red flowers, extremely tough), Aloe polyphylla (spiral aloe — the collector’s grail, geometric spiral rosette), Aloe brevifolia (short-leaved aloe), Aloe aristata (lace aloe — now reclassified as Aristaloe aristata). Difficulty: easy (most species); challenging (A. polyphylla).
Haworthia and Haworthiopsis — the windowpane succulents
Haworthia and Haworthiopsis (family Asphodelaceae) are small, mostly shade-tolerant rosette succulents from South Africa. Many have translucent “windows” at the leaf tips that allow light to reach the photosynthetic tissue inside — an adaptation to growing partially buried in sand. Popular species: Haworthia cooperi (crystal-clear leaf tips), Haworthiopsis fasciata (zebra plant — white horizontal bands), Haworthiopsis attenuata (often confused with H. fasciata), Haworthia truncata (flat-topped, window-pane leaves). Difficulty: easy; excellent for low-light indoor conditions.
Gasteria — the tongue-shaped rosettes
Gasteria (family Asphodelaceae) produces thick, tongue-shaped, often spotted or textured leaves in flat, distichous (two-ranked) or spiral rosettes. Shade-tolerant. Popular species: Gasteria bicolor, Gasteria batesiana. Difficulty: very easy; one of the best succulents for low-light interiors.
Trailing and Hanging Succulents
Trailing succulents cascade over pot edges, rock walls, and hanging baskets — they are the “spillers” of the succulent world and some of the most popular plants on social media.
Curio rowleyanus (string of pearls, formerly Senecio rowleyanus) — spherical bead-like leaves on thin trailing stems. Iconic. Family Asteraceae. Difficulty: moderate (sensitive to overwatering).
Curio radicans (string of bananas) — banana-shaped leaves. Easier than string of pearls. Family Asteraceae.
Ceropegia woodii (string of hearts) — heart-shaped, marbled leaves on wiry trailing stems. Not technically a succulent in the strict sense, but universally sold alongside them. Family Apocynaceae. Difficulty: easy.
Sedum morganianum (burro’s tail, donkey tail) — long, pendulous stems covered in plump, blue-green, jelly-bean-like leaves. Family Crassulaceae. Difficulty: easy, but fragile — leaves detach at a touch.
Crassula pellucida ‘Calico Kitten’ — trailing stems with tiny heart-shaped leaves in cream, green, pink, and fuschia. One of the most photogenic succulents. Family Crassulaceae. Difficulty: easy.
Crassula perforata (string of buttons) — stacked, triangular leaves on trailing stems. Family Crassulaceae. Difficulty: easy.
Othonna capensis (ruby necklace) — bean-shaped leaves on purple trailing stems that turn ruby-red in bright light. Family Asteraceae. Difficulty: easy.
Columnar and Tree-Forming Succulents
These species grow upright into columns, trees, or large architectural shrubs — the statement pieces of a succulent collection.
Euphorbia — the African columns
Euphorbia (family Euphorbiaceae) includes some of the most dramatic architectural succulents on Earth: candelabra trees, ribbed columns, and spiny shrubs that mimic cacti so convincingly they are routinely mislabelled in garden centres. Caution: all produce a toxic, milky latex.
Euphorbia trigona (African milk tree) — upright, segmented, three-ribbed columns with small leaves. One of the most popular tall indoor succulents. The dark-purple cultivar ‘Rubra’ is especially sought-after. Difficulty: easy.
Euphorbia tirucalli (pencil cactus, firestick) — dense masses of smooth, pencil-thin, leafless green branches. The cultivar ‘Sticks on Fire’ develops vivid coral-red winter colour. Difficulty: easy but latex is highly toxic.
Euphorbia lactea ‘Cristata’ (coral cactus) — a crested (fan-shaped) mutation grafted onto a straight rootstock. Looks like an underwater coral. Difficulty: moderate.
Euphorbia ingens (naboom, candelabra tree) — massive candelabra tree reaching 10–15 m in habitat. Impressive container specimen when young. Difficulty: easy in warm climates.
Crassula — the jade trees
Crassula ovata (jade plant) — the most popular succulent houseplant in the world. Tree-like form with a thick trunk and glossy, oval, green leaves. Hundreds of cultivars including ‘Hobbit’ (tubular leaves), ‘Gollum’ (trumpet leaves), ‘Hummel’s Sunset’ (yellow and red), ‘Variegata’. Difficulty: very easy.
Crassula arborescens (silver jade) — similar to the jade plant but with round, silvery-blue leaves edged in red. Slower-growing. Difficulty: easy.
Crassula tetragona (miniature pine tree) — narrow, needle-like leaves on upright stems creating a conifer-like silhouette. Difficulty: easy.
Pachypodium — the Madagascar palm trees
Pachypodium (family Apocynaceae) produces swollen, spiny, bottle-shaped trunks crowned with tufts of leaves — the “Madagascar palms” (though they are not palms). Pachypodium lamerei is the most commonly grown. Difficulty: moderate.
Globular and Ball-Shaped Succulents
Spherical succulents that minimise surface area to conserve water — including some of the most coveted collector’s items.
Euphorbia obesa (baseball plant) — a near-perfect green sphere with faint ribs. South African. Looks like a cactus but has no spines. Family Euphorbiaceae. Difficulty: moderate (sensitive to overwatering).
Lithops (living stones) — pairs of fleshy, flat-topped leaves that mimic pebbles. Extremely slow-growing. Family Aizoaceae. Dozens of species in a rainbow of patterns and colours. Difficulty: challenging (complex watering cycle).
Conophytum — similar to Lithops but with dome-shaped bodies and a different growth cycle. Family Aizoaceae. Difficulty: challenging.
Stacked and Geometric Succulents
Leaves arranged in precise, mathematical patterns — the succulents that look engineered rather than grown.
Crassula ‘Buddha’s Temple’ — squared columns of densely stacked, silvery-grey, upward-curving leaves resembling a pagoda. A hybrid of Crassula pyramidalis × Crassula perfoliata. Slow-growing. Family Crassulaceae. Difficulty: moderate.
Crassula pyramidalis — four-sided columns of tightly imbricated, flat, triangular leaves. The parent of ‘Buddha’s Temple’. Family Crassulaceae. Difficulty: moderate.
Crassula muscosa (watch chain) — tiny, scale-like leaves packed around thin, cord-like stems in a zipper pattern. Family Crassulaceae. Difficulty: easy.
Haworthia truncata — flat-topped, rectangular leaves arranged in a fan. Family Asphodelaceae. Difficulty: moderate.
Spiny Shrubs and “Crown of Thorns” Types
Euphorbia milii (crown of thorns) — thorny stems with clusters of bright red, pink, yellow, or white bracts (not true petals). One of the few succulents that flowers almost continuously. Hundreds of Thai hybrid cultivars with massive flower clusters. Family Euphorbiaceae. Difficulty: easy.
Euphorbia horrida — ribbed, spiny, columnar South African species that closely resembles a barrel cactus. Family Euphorbiaceae. Difficulty: moderate.
Caudiciform and Bonsai-Like Succulents
Swollen trunks, thickened bases, and deciduous branches — the “fat plants” prized for their sculptural form.
Adenium obesum (desert rose) — swollen, bottle-shaped caudex with showy pink, red, or white flowers. Family Apocynaceae. Hugely popular in tropical horticulture. Difficulty: easy in warm climates.
Jatropha podagrica (Buddha belly plant) — a swollen, gouty stem topped with large, lobed leaves and coral-red flower clusters. Family Euphorbiaceae. Difficulty: easy.
Crassula sarcocaulis (bonsai crassula) — a naturally tree-shaped miniature with flaking bark, tiny leaves, and fragrant flowers. The finest succulent for bonsai. Hardy to –12 °C. Family Crassulaceae. Difficulty: easy.
Fockea edulis — a large, potato-like caudex with twining vines. Family Apocynaceae. Difficulty: moderate.
Agaves, Yuccas, and Other Architectural Rosettes
Large, bold, structural rosettes — the landscape anchors.
Agave americana (century plant) — massive blue-grey rosette up to 2 m wide with terminal spines. Monocarpic (flowers once after 10–30 years, then dies). Family Asparagaceae. Difficulty: easy.
Agave attenuata (foxtail agave) — soft, spineless, arching leaves. One of the safest agaves for gardens with children. Difficulty: easy.
Agave victoriae-reginae (Queen Victoria agave) — compact, dark green rosette with white markings. One of the most ornamental small agaves. Difficulty: moderate.
Yucca rostrata (beaked yucca) — a single trunk crowned with a sphere of fine, blue-grey, flexible leaves. One of the most architectural plants in cultivation. Hardy to –15 °C. Family Asparagaceae. Difficulty: easy.
Unusual and Rare Succulents
Euphorbia caput-medusae (Medusa’s head) — a central caudex radiating snake-like, twisting arms. Family Euphorbiaceae. Difficulty: moderate.
Crassula umbella ‘Wine Cup’ — a tuberous geophyte with leaves fused into a flat, cup-shaped disc on a stalk. Extraordinary form. Family Crassulaceae. Difficulty: challenging (dormancy management).
Euphorbia obesa × Euphorbia meloformis hybrids — collector’s globular euphorbias in various patterns and forms. Family Euphorbiaceae. Difficulty: moderate.
Pseudolithos — stone-mimicking succulents from Somalia with bizarre, coral-like textures. Family Apocynaceae. Difficulty: very challenging.
Succulent Families at a Glance
| Family | Key succulent genera | Typical forms |
|---|---|---|
| Crassulaceae | Echeveria, Crassula, Sedum, Kalanchoe, Sempervivum, Aeonium, Graptopetalum | Rosettes, trailing, trees, stacked columns |
| Euphorbiaceae | Euphorbia, Jatropha | Columns, globes, medusoid, spiny shrubs, caudex |
| Asphodelaceae | Aloe, Haworthia, Haworthiopsis, Gasteria, Bulbine | Armed rosettes, windowpane rosettes |
| Aizoaceae | Lithops, Conophytum, Pleiospilos, Fenestraria | Stone mimics, leaf pairs |
| Cactaceae | Mammillaria, Echinocactus, Opuntia, Cereus | Globes, columns, pads (true cacti) |
| Asparagaceae | Agave, Yucca, Nolina, Sansevieria (now Dracaena) | Large architectural rosettes, trees |
| Apocynaceae | Pachypodium, Adenium, Ceropegia, Hoya, Stapelia | Caudex, trailing, carrion flowers |
| Asteraceae | Curio (formerly Senecio), Othonna | Trailing (strings of pearls/bananas) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest succulent for beginners?
Crassula ovata (jade plant) is widely regarded as the easiest succulent for beginners. It tolerates a wide range of light conditions, forgives missed waterings, grows into an attractive tree-like form over time, and is almost impossible to kill through neglect. Other excellent beginner choices include Haworthiopsis fasciata (zebra plant — tolerates low light), Aloe vera (useful and tough), and Sempervivum (virtually indestructible outdoors).
How do I identify my succulent?
Start with the growth form: rosette (likely Echeveria, Sempervivum, Aloe, or Haworthia), trailing (likely Curio, Sedum, or Crassula), columnar or tree-like (likely Euphorbia, Crassula ovata, or a cactus), or globular (likely Euphorbia or Lithops). Then check for distinguishing features: milky sap when cut (= Euphorbia, not a cactus), spines from areoles (= true cactus), translucent leaf tips (= Haworthia), rosette on a bare stem (= Aeonium), smooth glossy oval leaves on a tree-like trunk (= Crassula ovata).
Are succulents and cacti the same thing?
All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. “Succulent” is an informal term for any plant with thickened, water-storing tissues — this includes cacti (family Cactaceae) but also euphorbias (Euphorbiaceae), aloes (Asphodelaceae), jade plants (Crassulaceae), agaves (Asparagaceae), and many others. True cacti are distinguished by having areoles — the small, cushion-like structures from which spines, flowers, and new growth emerge. If a plant has areoles, it is a cactus; if it lacks them (even if it looks prickly), it is not.
Which succulents are safe for cats?
Pet-safe succulents include Haworthia and Haworthiopsis species (zebra plant, etc.), Sempervivum (hens and chicks), Sedum morganianum (burro’s tail), and most Echeveria species. Avoid all Euphorbia species (toxic latex), all Crassula species (ASPCA-listed as toxic), Aloe species (mildly toxic), Kalanchoe (toxic to cats and dogs), and Curio/Senecio (string of pearls — toxic). When in doubt, check the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants database.
What succulents can survive frost?
The hardiest succulents include Sempervivum (to –30 °C or below), Sedum species like Sedum spurium and Sedum acre (to –30 °C), Euphorbia myrsinites (to –20 °C), Yucca rostrata and Yucca filamentosa (to –15 °C to –20 °C), Crassula sarcocaulis (to –12 °C — the hardiest Crassula), and Agave havardiana and Agave parryi (to –15 °C to –20 °C). In all cases, excellent drainage is critical — wet-cold is far more lethal than dry-cold.
Sources
- Plants of the World Online (POWO), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control — Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants. aspca.org
- Eggli, U. (ed.) (2003). Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants (multiple volumes). Springer, Berlin.
- Sajeva, M. & Costanzo, M. (2000). Succulents: The Illustrated Dictionary. Timber Press.